The present invention relates to a power supply system for supplying power to a storage medium housed in a storage apparatus, and to a storage subsystem redundantly configuring this power supply system.
In recent years, pursuant to the development of information society, a disk subsystem (or a storage subsystem) including magnetic disk apparatuses as storage apparatuses is demanded of greater capacity and greater number of mounted disks year by year. Meanwhile, the apparatuses configuring the disk subsystem are demanded of miniaturization, price-reduction, as well as further reliability regarding the steady supply of power or reliable protection of data. Thus, these apparatuses are demanded of the following configurations: (1) In order to more reliably store data in hard disks, to increase the number of mounted hard disks to be housed in the disk subsystem, and to also increase the number of hard disks to be connected to the same motherboard and power supply; (2) In order for the apparatuses configuring the disk subsystem to operate normally even during the occurrence of a failure in the power supply, to connect the power supply and power supply capable that supply power to the apparatuses in a duplicated or redundant configuration; and (3) In order to realize nondisruptive maintenance, when a failure occurs in a power supply while the apparatuses are operating, to provide a detection/reporting circuit or the like for detecting and reporting such failure inside the apparatuses.
As magnetic disk apparatuses comprising a system unit for increasing the reliability of the power supply, conventionally, a disk subsystem configured from a hard disk control logical unit and a disk unit has been proposed. This disk subsystem is configured so as to supply power to the hard disks using two or more power supplies mounted on a power supply boundary (backboard). Each of the mounted power supplies has sufficient output capacity for driving all hard disks so that the operation of the apparatuses will not be affected even when one power supply malfunctions and the output is stopped. Further, the respective power supplies are configured so that two independent power supply apparatuses can be connected to enable operation to continue even when power supply failure occurs in the power supply apparatus or the like.
When the output volume is stopped due to an internal malfunction of the power supply, the respective power supplies report the malfunction of the power supply to the power supply malfunction detection unit. The power supply voltage to be supplied to the hard disk is checked by the power supply malfunction detection unit. When the voltage falls below the operable voltage of the hard disk, the power supply malfunction detection unit detects a malfunction, and reports the malfunction of the power supply to the hard disk control logical unit.
Also proposed is a disk subsystem adopting a power supply system that supplies power to hard disks from one output configured to supply power individually from two or more power supplies mounted on the apparatus to the backboard, wherein the hard disks have individual power supplies, and the power supplies are input from two or more lines on the backboard (Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2005-173941).